A Thank you turned Birthday

I have a Thank you card that I need to make for our Music Minister.  I have started making a card with the intention of giving it to him a couple of times now.  Today I took the MOJO sketch, grabbed out some different papers and started cutting and stamping away.  But about 3/4 of the way through, I noticed that the card was no longer going in the direction I had intended but had instead taken on a life of it's own.  As I continued to work the card I picked up a Happy Birthday stamp and used it.  Now I was committed and as I thought about it I realized that it was actually meant to be as one of my brothers birthday is in three days.  So I finished off the card and will mail it out tomorrow.  Here is the challenge:

Here is my take on the MOJO 213 Sketch:

I normally don't work with blue, and wasn't even sure I would have enough "stuff" to make this turn out right, but the more I pulled out, the more my mind started working and eventually I had enough papers to make this work.  I love to see tears in papers with another paper with a different pattern peaking through.  The main DP has light gray swirly waves on it, but it was just begging for more so I added some stamped swirls in a darker color.  I cut a doily out in white, but felt is was too white, so I sprayed some Tattered Angels Walnut gold and Blue Frost on it, and then I was much happier.  Next I grabbed some SB's Label 2, and cut out a mat and inlay.  I didn't want to put a flower on the card or anything like that because I knew this was going to be for a man, so instead I grabbed my Blueberry Twine and went to wrapping the diecut in layers.  When I was finished I didn't like the "white" on the twine, so I sprayed that whole piece with the walnut gold TA and again was much happier. Then I topped that with a blue stick pin, not to fancy, but something more "masculine" like.  All components for the stick pin came from PizzazAplenty.

Next I started working on the edges, used some verve flourish stamps first, then distressed.  Once I had that finished I inked up the edges with DI Stormy sky.  The raw edges of paper were touched lightly with the Stormy sky, but some Old Paper was added to it to give it a more grunge look.  Finally I pulled out labels 10 to make the spot for the sentiment.  I made the layers and even cut out a piece of transparency to put on top.  But the sentiment I wanted to put on this didn't fit, so as I looked around I saw Happy Birthday and my hand just picked it up, inked it in Stormy Sky and stamped it, I distressed and inked the edges, lined up the clear over the top and used two brads to hold the transparency down.  It looked like it still needed more, so I started tapping versa mark on the edges and adding embossing powder, light in some spots, heavier in others.

All the while leaving the peaky paper alone except to spray some TA on it.  Then I just put everything together and started working on the inside.

I again treated the back paper just like the front paper, let a piece of "wrought iron" fall askew and layered a lighter DP on top that was inked on the edges as well.  The verse is Verve.  I will be entering this in some challenges that will be listed below tomorrow morning.  I wanted to get this up tonight yet so I don't fall to far behind.  Hope you had/have a great day.

Blessings!

This card has been entered into the following challenges:
Mojo Monday Sketch: Sketch 213,   Moving Along with the Times:Card for male,   Crafts and Me :Something Blue, Scrap, Stamp and Doodle  :Monochromatic, Dream Valley Challenges: Anything Goes, Lollipop Crafts: Anything Goes, Pollycraft Challenges:  Anything Goes, Make it Monday:  Anything Goes,  Paper Playtime:  Anything Goes